“The support we have received in Canada has been nothing short of spectacular, so when we had the chance to bring Bellator to Windsor, it was an easy decision,” Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney stated. “Ben Askren vs. Douglas Lima will showcase two of the best and brightest stars in the world at 170 pounds. The fans watching inside Caesars and the viewers catching the fights on MTV2 are in for a great night.”

In addition to the night’s main event, Bellator 64 also hosts the semifinals of the promotion’s season-six featherweight tournament. The opening round of that bracket kicks off March 9 at Bellator 60.

As with all of Bellator’s season-six events, Bellator 64 airs on MTV2 (and in high-definition on
EPIX). The night’s preliminary card streams on Spike.com, though no fights have been announced.

Askren seeks a second defense of the belt he won in April 2011. The undefeated 27-year-old has rattled-off nine-straight wins to open his professional career, including a narrow split-decision win over Jay Hieron this past October.

“After my fight with Jay, I went back to work the following Monday to continue my training,” Askren said. “I made no secret I wasn’t happy with my performance in that fight, and now having spent over six months training at Roufusport, I’m really confident in my striking.

“Douglas is a great fighter, but I don’t think he’ll be able to handle what I bring to the table.”

“There is no question Ben is a great fighter, and I’ve been focusing a lot of time on my wrestling,” Lima stated. “This is the biggest fight of my career, and I’m preparing for it. It’s all I think about. Every day from the time I wake up, until the time my head hits the pillow, I’m thinking about April 6 and winning the title.”

Four-time WEC veteran Chris Horodecki (18-3-1 MMA, 1-0-1 BFC) will also appear on the card against a yet-to-be-named opponent.

For the latest on Bellator 64, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Ben Askren)

The Latest

In this week’s Trading Shots, Danny Downes and Ben Fowlkes look at Ronda Rousey’s 34-second victory over Bethe Correia at UFC 190 and try to put it into terms that capture the moment without getting swept away by it.

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?